Friday, May 12, 2006

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: we have our second anniversary coming up on May 27th, and we would like to have another contest. For our second anniversary, send us up to three of your own alternate histories, and we will publish the best - no limit on how many will end up on the final page! We would like to see as many of you enter this as possible, so please - think 'em up, write 'em down, and send 'em on to us at rat4cat@gmail.com! Help us celebrate our 2nd year of existence in style! Oh, and if you're like Sean and we owe you an appearance in TIAH - email us! SEAN - EMAIL - NOW!

May 12th, 2006

in 1215, King John of England forces the barons of his country to accept a charter of rights for both commoners and noblemen. This causes a minor war as the barons refuse to accept this Magna Carta, or indeed, giving their subjects any rights at all. John is victorious, however, and this begins a long history of English civil rights movements.

in 1780, the Canadian independence movement is dealt a severe blow when General Richard Perceval and over 10,000 of his men are forced to surrender at Fredericton. British General Henry Clinton had amassed a major force to overwhelm the Canadians since the cessation of hostilities with the lower colonies, and put them to good use against the rebel stronghold at Fredericton.

in 1928, when dictator Benito Mussolini abolishes women’s rights in Italy, a Lysistrata-like rebellion from the country’s ladies forces Il Duce to back down. After this humiliating defeat, he is unable to rule with as harsh a fist as he had before, and is ousted from power in 1930.

in 1932, an infant’s body was found near the Lindbergh home in New Jersey, and at first it was believed to be the young Lindbergh boy. When it was revealed that the infant was a girl, the search remained on, and the Lindberghs retained their hope that their son would be found. The unknown girl became the subject of a play produced later that year called Forgotten, exploring the implications of ignoring an unknown dead child to continue searching for a famous, lost one.

in 1937, Pope George VI put on the shoes of the fisherman in Buckingham Cathedral after his brother Edward gave up the papacy of the Holy British Empire out of love for a Protestant woman. Former Pope Edward had fallen in love with a colonial woman, Wallis Warfield, in spite of her heretical views, and gave up an empire for her.

in 1941, Rashid Ali al-Gailani pledges his support for the Greater Zionist Resistance, one of the first Arabic leaders to do so since the German Underground began its war against the G.Z.R. His Iraqi troops were soon joined by all the other Arabic nations as they saw that the G.U. made no distinction between them and their Jewish allies.

in 1982, a Spanish priest claiming that the Pope was an agent of Moscow, stabs Pope John Paul II through the heart during a visit to Fatima, Portugal. The pontiff dies immediately, sending the Catholic world into mourning and forcing the 3rd election of a pope within the last 4 years.

in 2002, former president Comrade John Anderson, continuing his pattern of mending fences, became the first American head of state to visit Cuba since its capitalist revolution in the 1950’s. Comrade President Bernie Sanders made it clear that Comrade Anderson’s visit didn’t amount to endorsement of Batista’s regime, but did take advantage of the opening to start trade talks with the island.

in 2005, Chelsea Perkins, Debra Morris and Patience Redding find that the Council of Wisdom now controls all of England, but is besieged by non-magical military from Scotland and Wales, as well as French forces from the continent. Something happened to force them into the open, and the consequences for witches across the world has been disastrous. Perkins and Morris are inclined to blame Redding for coming with them through time from 1985.

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